Greetings TeaFriends and welcome to a new TeaDay!. Yep, a little late, however we will look back to last month for our poll question today. Please stop in and share what is in your cup with us throughout the day. Also be sure to vote and discuss the topic of the day.

We have been discussing for the last few days " Have I been alive?" Please continue to vote and discuss this topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Today we look back at January. What were your January Tea(s) of the month? Please share.

We are looking forward to sharing this Teaday with ... everyone. Bottoms up!

This is a tossup: I had some wonderful sessions with a couple of Dan Congs, but the one session that got me thinking and posting more than any other was my first with the Tsou Ma Fei - 2011 Spring Ali Shan Oolong Tea by Norbu Tea. I'd really loved his 2010 Tsou Ma Fei, so had very high hopes for this one. It did not disappoint, and led to a very interesting comparative tasting with the 2011 'White' Oolong, also from Norbu, that was especially interesting as to the difference between them: both were sweet, aromatic, with a spiciness that I expect from Taiwanese oolongs, but the Tsou ma fei had a warmth and richness contrasting with the grassier taste of the more delicate White oolong. I've been alternating them often since.

And in honor of this post, more of the Tsou Ma Fei now, after a nice sencha start to the day (Honyama from Yuuki-cha). Mmmm.....

again not really sure about a fav new tea of month, maybe a dancong...

today at work a blend of tilohan, huangmeigui, and xiao hong poa from jing, shake of about 2.5g each, in a 200ml teapot, on the second infusion and it is a very nice mix (the huangmeigui really pushes itself to the front

A very nice day with tea so far....started wtih some Lao Tai Di Qing Xin traditional roast oolong from Taiwan, a lovely fruity earthy oolong tea, and milked that one all morning. in the afternoon, several rounds of Snow Dragon Yunnan white tea--a nice mellow white tea that doesn't have the legs of a really fine silver needle, but quite delicious as long as I don't push it for too many infusions.

Considering I worked on the same 6 grams of a single tea for over a third of January, I think this was a bit of a no brain-er selection on my part. The Mandarin Tea Rooms 2008 Refine Fired Shui Xian, which absolutely challenged certain thoughts I had about Tea/ Wuyi Yancha previously, most notably how the interaction between person and leaf can bring some already great tea to a superior level. By that I mean who ever did the roasting and processing of this tea is a genius in his field.

What honestly surprised me the most is on the 2nd and 3rd days of brewing (so think infusions 8-14 or so) this tea offered up such a wealth of flavor, that trumps many first infusions of typical Wuyi Yancha. Sadly with its price I do not see myself getting another sample any time soon.